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PROYECTO IKAM AYAMJUT
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The Aguaruna and Huambisa Council (CAH), the representative body of the
Aguaruna and Huambisa peoples of Peru's northeastern Amazon has recently
initiated "Proyecto Ikam Ayamjut" ("Project We Defend the Jungle"). Ikam
Ayamjut is a native initiative that links the conservation concerns of
Western environmentalists with the autonomous, ecologically sustainable
development concerns of Amazonian peoples.
Proyecto Ikam Ayamjut seeks to establish several scientific centers in
Peru's Upper Maranon Basin. These centers will join native peoples and
Western scientists in research on the ecology of the Amazon in a
cooperative mode that emphasizes the value of traditional knowledge, the
development desires of it's indigenous people, and the conservation
priorities that environmentalists and natives share. At the same time
ecologically sensitive and socially progressive, the CAH-initiated and
managed project has drawn the support of several top-notch environmental
scientists including Vandana Shiva, Thomas Lovejoy, and Darrell Posey.
Especially in the light of the continued threat of large-scale oil
drilling throughout the region, it is important to support projects that
emphasize indigenous rights to self-determination and ecological
sustainability in the western Amazon. Ikam Ayamjut is just such an
initiative.
Inquiries regarding the project should be addressed to one of the
addresses below.
A full text (in Spanish, Dec 1993) including an extensive project
description (appr. 50 pp.), maps, photos (xeroxed), and letters of
support is available for the costs of copying and postage.
For project details send US $5.00 (USA/Canada) or US $8.00 (elsewhere) to:
Edward Hammond
2828-A San Gabriel
Austin TX 78705 USA
(512) 479-8629
To contact CAH:
Proyecto Ikam Ayamjut
Consejo Aguaruna y Huambisa
Jiron Larco Herrera 1057
Lima 17 PERU
(Spanish -or Aguaruna! - preferred)